Titans Insider » Jim Washburnhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans
Titans news and analysis from Tennessean.comSun, 16 Mar 2014 15:26:22 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6Haynesworth no longer worth a look by Titanshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/11/08/haynesworth-no-longer-worth-a-look-by-titans/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/11/08/haynesworth-no-longer-worth-a-look-by-titans/#commentsTue, 08 Nov 2011 20:33:38 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=17104Yes, Albert Haynesworth is now available on the market. No, I don’t expect him to return to Nashville.

The Titans are free to put in a waiver claim for the jumbo-sized defensive tackle over the next 24 hours, now that he’s been released by New England. But really,why would they?

If the Titans could bring back the Haynesworth who played under Jim Washburn three years ago, they’d be in great shape. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to snare a 6-foot-6, 350-pound run-stuffer, especially when your team is currently ranked 24thagainst the run? Haynesworth would reportedly only cost about $600,000 for the rest of the season.

But let’s face it, the Haynesworth of 2008 is long gone, replaced by a player who’s now characterized almost exclusively by his lack of motivation and his failure to co-exist peacefully with coaches.

Haynesworth has managed just three – three – tackles in six games for the Patriots this season. You’d think a guy that big would bump into a quarterback or running back by accident more than just three times in six games. And this year’s uselessness comes on the heels of last season’s 16 tackles in eight games. Not exactly the kind of stuff the Redskins paid $100 million for when Haynesworth left the Titans after 2008.

So despite his personal ties to Nashville and those golden memories of yesteryear, don’t expect Big Al to be donning a Titans jersey anytime soon.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/11/08/haynesworth-no-longer-worth-a-look-by-titans/feed/6Would Babin follow coach, scheme to Philly?http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/03/18/would-babin-follow-coach-scheme-to-philly/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/03/18/would-babin-follow-coach-scheme-to-philly/#commentsFri, 18 Mar 2011 16:54:50 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=13132In comments made to the Eagles website this week, Coach Andy Reid said his defensive ends will line up in the wide-nine technique that defensive line coach Jim Washburn used with success here with the Titans.

Reid hired Washburn early in the offseason, and the veteran assistant will be wasting no time employing his scheme, which places the ends outside the parameters of the offensive line and utilizes their speed getting into the backfield.

According to the website, Washburn and the Eagles hope to take advantage of the speed of Trent Cole, Brandon Graham and former Titan Juqua Parker.

You have to think that defensive end Jason Babin, a pending unrestricted free agent, has to be even more intrigued with the Eagles’ situation now.

Both the coach (Washburn) and the system (wide-nine) that helped Babin produce a career-best 12.5 sacks for the Titans last season are now in place in Philadelphia.

“Jim Washburn brings a tremendous amount of intensity. In his own little country way, he’ll tell you he’s not smart; he’s brilliant,” Reid told the website. “He has a scheme I’ve always admired. He teaches technique down to the inch and, again, his players play their tail off. Every snap they’re going to bring it. You just look at his track record and what he has produced in the National Football League.”

Babin has said he’d like to return to the Titans and the Titans have expressed interest in bringing him back. But it’s hard to imagine the Eagles wouldn’t at least take a run at Babin, who spent a fairly unproductive 2009 in Philadelphia under the Eagles’ old system.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/03/18/would-babin-follow-coach-scheme-to-philly/feed/1Kevin Carter’s take: Titans have big shoes to fillhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/02/04/ask-carter-titans-have-big-shoes-to-fill/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/02/04/ask-carter-titans-have-big-shoes-to-fill/#commentsFri, 04 Feb 2011 20:56:22 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=12548DALLAS — Former Titans defensive lineman Kevin Carter is here spreading the word about School of The Legends. Yet he is shocked by developments with the Titans, he said, particularly how they will adjust to the departure of defensive line coach Jim Washburn.

Former Titans defensive lineman Kevin Carter at Radio Row at the Super Bowl on Thursday. (Jim Wyatt)

“It’s bigger than anyone knows,” Carter said. “The dynamic that a defensive line brings to a team is so important. Most people who really know football, they appreciate that the heart and soul of your team comes from the defensive line. The attitude, your workmanship and everything …

“During practice, I would always remark at how little the other groups were seemingly doing compared to what we would do. We were busting our butts. And that was because of Coach Wash and the environment he created. Coach Wash made a profound impact on that team. I don’t know who is going to run that team, but it is a big blow to lose him. The man extended my career and brought me to new levels. He’s the reason I played 14 years of football.”

Carter, who was a Titan from 2001-04, said Coach Jeff Fisher’s replacement will face a big challenge on the field and in the community, where he’s “iconic.” Carter said he believes offensive line coach Mike Munchak, considered the favorite to replace Fisher, would do an “outstanding job.”

“If he wants it, give it to him,” Carter said. “Ask anybody who has ever played for him or has had anything to do with him, you know the guy is awesome.”

SchooloftheLegends.com is a social networking environment where fans, young players and parents can connect with former and current NFL players.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/02/04/ask-carter-titans-have-big-shoes-to-fill/feed/0Fisher departure won’t help Titans with Babinhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/27/fisher-loss-wont-help-titans-with-babin/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/27/fisher-loss-wont-help-titans-with-babin/#commentsFri, 28 Jan 2011 05:32:54 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=12350It’s hard to imagine the events of the last eight days have done much to improve the Titans chances of bringing back Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Babin.

Babin got a new lease on his NFL life this season in Nashville, as he was transformed from a journeyman former first-round pick – who’d played for three teams in the previous two years – to one of the most effective pass-rushing ends in the game.

Two of the men who most believed in Babin — despite his mediocre past — were Titans coach Jeff Fisher and Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn. Both are now gone, Washburn to Philadelphia and Fisher apparently to an unidentified trout stream in Montana.

Keep in mind that during most of this time, Babin has been in Hawaii, preparing for his first Pro Bowl and entertaining one of his guests – Washburn.

Here’s what Babin told The Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt last week after learning that Washburn had left the organization: “He is the guy that gave me the chance. He’s the guy who poured water on me, let me have sunshine, gave me fertilizer, and really let me grow. It would be hard for me not to contemplate it if he said, ‘Jason, I want you in Philly.’ He resurrected me. I’d have to at least give that serious consideration.”

And here’s what Babin said on Twitter tonight after learning that Fisher wouldn’t be returning: “Dammit, I love Fisher” … “It’s a sad day in Nashville today”

Does that sound like a man anxious to put on the Titans uniform again?

Granted, the Titans should get a boost at defensive end next season, with the expected return of talented youngster Derrick Morgan from a knee injury. But it will be a big blow if the team loses a pending free agent like Babin, who piled up 12.5 sacks and 58 tackles last year.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/27/fisher-loss-wont-help-titans-with-babin/feed/3Washburn: “I have no buyer’s remorse”http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/20/washburn-i-have-no-buyers-remorse/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/20/washburn-i-have-no-buyers-remorse/#commentsThu, 20 Jan 2011 20:52:28 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=12275Jim Washburn is looking forward to the day he can enjoy hunting and fishing. He wants to own a 52-acre farm in Maury County, and drive a pick-up truck with his grandchildren beside him.

“I want to have a life after I quit football, not just be known as Coach Wash,’’ said the former Titans defensive line coach, who on Wednesday accepted a similar position with the Eagles. “But all that will come one day. Right now I want to coach five or six more years and I think I can coach as well as I’ve ever coached. I know I’m going to coach as hard as I can coach, I promise you that.’’

It just won’t be in Tennessee.

Washburn, 61, said on Thursday he leaves the Titans with no hard feelings.

After spending his past 12 seasons with the organization, he said it was time for a change.

“I need to get invigorated a little bit. It wasn’t anything in particular, I just thought it was just about time,’’ Washburn said. “It is no reflection on the state of the Titans or anything. As a matter of fact, the Titans having the troubles is the one thing that made me want to stay. It almost kept me here. I’d like to be with them to fight their way back to the top. So I don’t want it to look like I am running out.’’

Washburn also said he has no regrets. He initially hesitated to do an interview with The Tennessean and made it clear he doesn’t want to offend anyone on his departure. He opted not to speak publicly on Wednesday, the day he accepted a three-year deal with the Eagles. The Titans also offered him a three-year contract in an effort to keep him.

Washburn didn’t want to get into any other aspects of his decision, and whether he was dissatisfied with some facets of the Titans’ defense.

“Everyone is trying to read different things into it, but I have choices and I feel good about it. I have no buyer’s remorse or anything,’’ he said. “I am not going to be ugly about anything. I want to leave here with a clean break and don’t want to have any sour grapes and I shouldn’t. It was a really good 12 years, most of them anyway. Maybe one or two of them (stunk), but I enjoyed it.

“I was frustrated when we didn’t play good. But my contract is up. So I don’t understand how anyone could fault me. Life is about choices. No one is going to put me on a guilt trip because I went over there and worked as hard as I could every day and I enjoyed every minute of it. Now I just wanted to do something a little different.’’

He praised Coach Jeff Fisher for how he treated him over the years, and said it made his decision to leave even tougher.

“I don’t have anything bad to say about anybody – players or coaches,’’ Washburn said. “I did my best for 12 years with the Titans. I was real happy with the way Jeff treated me; I thought he always went above and beyond the call of duty with me. He sort of allowed me to be myself, and he let me make my own hours. I was a real early bird and home little early and he was great with me.

“So I couldn’t have asked for a better boss than Jeff. He was great. I don’t think anybody ever treated me as well as Jeff Fisher did. I can swear to you on that one. It was like I was an independent contractor. So I thank him for that. Now I want to do good for (Eagles Coach) Andy Reid now.’’

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/20/washburn-i-have-no-buyers-remorse/feed/4Washburn decision impacts Babinhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/19/washburn-decision-impacts-babin/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/19/washburn-decision-impacts-babin/#commentsWed, 19 Jan 2011 19:53:26 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=12246Defensive end Jason Babin will make his first Pro Bowl trip next week, and he’s taking his former defensive line coach Jim Washburn with him. Washburn left the Titans on Wednesday for a similar job with the Eagles.

Jason Babin (Jae S. Lee / The Tennessean)

“It stinks that he’s leaving, but he has to do what he has to do for his personal fulfillment. I know he didn’t want to leave, but he has valid reasons as how it was explained to me. I stand behind him,” Babin said. “He’s the greatest position coach I’ve ever had so I have nothing but respect for him.”

Washburn’s contract with the Titans had expired. He had a chance to return with a one-year deal, but decided on a multiyear contract with the Eagles.

The Titans and their fans will miss Washburn, Babin said.

“He can evaluate guys and see what guys do best. He’ll push buttons,” Babin said. “There were times when I wanted to kick his bum leg but there were times when he jumped up and hugged me. It’s an amazing dynamic between coach and player. He’ll definitely be missed by people in Tennessee, that’s for sure.”

Babin, who had 12.5 sacks in 2010, is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason, so Washburn’s decision could impact Babin’s as well.

“It has happened so fast,” Babin said. “He is the guy that gave me the chance. He’s the guy who poured water on me, let me have sunshine, gave me fertilizer, and really let me grow. There’s been no ‘Hey Jason, we want you in Philly’ discussions, but it would be hard for me not to contemplate it if he said, ‘Jason, I want you in Philly. He resurrected me. I’d have to at least give that serious consideration. But Tennessee is where I made a home, my kids go to school there, we live there. So I feel like I’m in a tough position.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/19/washburn-decision-impacts-babin/feed/8Move would offer Washburn securityhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/19/move-would-offer-washburn-security/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/19/move-would-offer-washburn-security/#commentsWed, 19 Jan 2011 16:09:10 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=12244It would be hard to blame Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn if he chose to pack his bags and head north to Philadelphia.

I’m sure it would be a tough decision for Washburn, considering it was Titans head coach Jeff Fisher who gave Washburn his first NFL opportunity back in 1999, after Washburn had spent more than two decades working in college, NFL Europe and indoor pro leagues.

Washburn is also 61 years old, and after a dozen years here, it might be difficult to start from scratch in a new city with a new team.

But like anyone, Washburn has to look out for his long-term interests.

The fact of the matter is that Fisher and all his staff might be gone after the coming season if the Titans don’t turn things around, while Philadelphia coach Andy Reid and his staff – fresh from a third straight trip to the postseason – can presumably offer more long-term security.

Should Washburn leave for Philly, he’d be a tough man to replace, evidenced by the handful of players he’s guided to the Pro Bowl and the slew of players he’s helped earn big contracts.

That potential replacement process might be even more challenging right now, after a number of other NFL teams have shuffled coaching personnel and added new staff over the past few days.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2011/01/19/move-would-offer-washburn-security/feed/11Injured Washburn unlikely to mellowhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/20/injured-washburn-unlikely-to-mellow/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/20/injured-washburn-unlikely-to-mellow/#commentsMon, 20 Sep 2010 22:16:06 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=9489Titans defensive line coach Jim Washburn will likely be on crutches four to six weeks after a player collided with him out-of-bounds near the end of the first quarter on Sunday.

Washburn is known for his vocal and abrasive demeanor, and Titans defensive end Jason Babin doesn’t seeing the injury making him any softer.

“To be honest with you, it’s probably going to heighten his intensity,” Babin said. “I don’t know what he’s got planned, but I’m pretty sure his wheels are turning right now and he’s going to figure something out. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I’m sure he’ll come up with something.”

Babin said the defensive linemen weren’t exactly ready to coddle their crusty coach this morning.

“We actually watched it on film and in all honesty, we all chuckled a little bit,” Babin said. “The scary part was he didn’t see it coming until the very last second. His knee really buckled in, so I don’t know what the damage is. But we told him he had to have treatment every morning at 6:30.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/20/injured-washburn-unlikely-to-mellow/feed/0Jacob Ford to have MRIhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/19/jacob-ford-to-have-mri/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/19/jacob-ford-to-have-mri/#commentsMon, 20 Sep 2010 03:09:24 +0000JIM WYATT, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=9460Titans defensive end Jacob Ford suffered knee and ankle injuries, was limping badly as he left the field and is scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/19/jacob-ford-to-have-mri/feed/0Titans stingy on third downshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/13/titans-stingy-on-third-downs/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/2010/09/13/titans-stingy-on-third-downs/#commentsMon, 13 Sep 2010 22:13:45 +0000JOHN GLENNON, The Tennesseanhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/titans/?p=9289One week into the season, the Titans are tied for second in the league in opponents’ third-down efficiency.

The Titans held the Raiders to just three third-down conversions in 14 attempts, a defensive success rate of 79 percent. Oakland was 0-for-7 in the first half.

“They were max protecting quite a bit on third and long, which means they were going to be keeping six and sometimes seven in,” Coach Jeff Fisher said. “We knew they’d do that. That was their choice. That’s the way they played. (But) it created opportunities for us.

“(Defensive line coach Jim Washburn) had his guys coached up well and they were in position to get good pressure on the quarterback. They were keeping people in, and when you have just three guys (out as receivers) and a fourth checking out late, it’s hard to convert third and longs.”